Stan Fischler on Evgeni Nabokov, Johnny Boychuk and John Tavares

Stan Fischler, thought of as a hockey historian and the same when it comes to the New York City subway system, exits a subway train on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015, at Barclays Center, before an Islanders hockey game. He can later be found in the broadcast booth commenting on current and past hockey plays and games. Photo Credit: Craig Ruttle

"Very serious -- veeeery serious," Fischler said. "I found that out the hard way, at the Coliseum two years ago. I heard one of these guaranteed jokes. I know jokes that are guaranteed, where you can't go wrong. I said, 'John, I want to tell you a joke.' I might as well be talking to that picture over there on the wall."

Might he simply have been intensely focused on the task at hand in the hours before a game?